The jury of seven women and five men found Gregory Scott, 67, guilty of third-degree murder for the death of Catherine Janet Walsh, 23, who was found strangled and bound in her Monaca apartment in September 1979.

"It's the first time that my sister has been able to feel peace and be at rest," said Walsh's brother, Francesco Caltieri.

Hopkins remained silent as he walked into the courtroom, just minutes before the jury found him guilty. After the verdict, his bond was revoked and he was taken into custody to be returned to the county jail, where he will await sentencing. He could face a maximum sentence of 40 years.

"When we stood before you two years ago, we told you we would turn back the clock, and it's obvious by the verdict of the jury we were able to do that," District Attorney Anthony Berosh said.

Hopkins admitted having an affair but denied any involvement when Walsh was found dead in 1979. Last year, he was charged after modern DNA analysis found his previously undetected DNA on her nightgown, a bedsheet and the rope used to bind her hands.

"The jury system has spoken, and we have to respect that. Don't necessarily agree with it, but I respect it," defense attorney James Ross said. "I learned a great deal about DNA. This is the first cold case that I've tried in my career, and it was interesting but difficult."

The verdict had Hopkins' family in tears. His wife's face was covered as she left the courtroom, too upset to comment. Meanwhile, investigators were overjoyed.

"I've been doing police work for 38 years and it's the first time I've ever cried in the courtroom," said Andrew Gall, assistant chief of detectives for the DA's office. He was the first officer to arrive at the murder scene in 1979.

With the verdict, Walsh's brother said the family can finally begin to have closure.

"When I hear the sentence he finally gets, and I see the latch closed on that door, there will be closure for myself," Caltieri said. "My father, my brother, my mother -- they're going to have their closure in the afterlife."